CHINA SAMPLE CONCERT TOUR Beijing | Shanghai | Xi’an In every way, KI bent over backwards to ensure that our needs were met. Council Rock High School CHINA 2008 Your World of Music on six continents SAMPLE ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS Forbidden Palace Great Wall of China 8000+ terracotta warriors The NYC of Asia Fine Music/great venues BEIJING | SHANGHAI DAY 1: DEPART Depart home DAY 2: BEIJING After landing at Beijing airport and passing through customs and immigration you will be met by your KIconcerts Tour Manager. On the way into China’s capital city you will be introduced to China and start to learn some key Chinese words and phrases. Your hotel will Forbidden City be ready for you to check in and, once you’ve freshened up, you will be served the first of your daily dinners in China. Overnight Beijing DAY 3: BEIJING A mix of Chinese and western food will be offered at each of your daily morning buffets. Like most visitors to Peking/Beijing since the 15th century you will want your visit to China to start by seeing the Forbidden City. For almost 500 years most people could only imagine what was behind the imposing walls but now you get to tour through the 250 acres of courtyards, gardens, grand halls and pavilions graced with imperial treasures which today form the Palace Palace Museum Museum. Adjoining the Forbidden City is the world’s largest plaza, Tiananmen Square, the site of so much of China’s modern history. This square is lined with imposing public buildings including the Great Hall of the People and Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum. After time for lunch you transfer to the site of our exchange program with an opportunity to rehearse before meeting your local host ensemble. Enjoy an EXCHANGE PROGRAM followed by the first of your CONCERTS in China. Overnight Beijing Great Wall DAY 4: GREAT WALL | BEIJING Today we drive to the 3,465 mile long Great Wall, parts of which were being built in the 7th century BC, and which has protected from northern invasion for centuries. Before climbing the Wall there is an option to give an informal short CONCERT at the base of this breathtaking structure (tbd). After lunch we transfer to the World Heritage listed Summer Palace. This masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design combines hills and lakes with pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious setting Temple of Heaven unique to China. To cap off this spectacular day you will dine in a Peking Duck restaurant for dinner. Overnight Beijing DAY 5: BEIJING Your touring this morning commences at the Temple of Heaven, built in 1420 and restored in 1890. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is judged by the majority of visitors to be the most iconic of all the impressive structures here. In the afternoon you set off in the back of rickshaws for a traditional Hutong tour seeing how the citizens of Peking lived for centuries until the recent modernization of the city. You will have the second of your China CONCERTS tonight. Overnight Beijing DAY 6: SHANGHAI Transfer to Shanghai, China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, either by flying or aboard one of the country’s new high speed trains. Upon arrival in this bustling metropolis, which has been called the New York of Asia, you will travel down the tree-lined avenue bordering the Huangpu River before taking a cruise. Sailing Shanghai down the river you can see the dazzling modernity of new Shanghai (Pudong) on one side and historical Shanghai on the other. After time to explore Shanghai’s famed Nanjing Road, you will check into your hotel and get ready for dinner. Overnight Shanghai DAY 7: SHANGHAI You will have a chance to explore Shanghai’s Yu Garden this morning, a place of peace and comfort built in the fabled Ming Dynasty. The Yu (meaning peace and health in Chinese) Garden began as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent The Bund almost 20 years, and all of his savings, to build it in order to please his parents in their old age. This afternoon you will prepare for your finalCONCERT which you might have also chosen to share with a local ensemble. Overnight Shanghai DAY 8: DEPART Farewelling China we transfer you to the airport to board your flight home Itinerary subject to change. Confirmation of performances is dependent upon early receipt of performance Yu Garden information: biographies, pictures, recordings and repertoire BEIJING | XI’AN | SHANGHAI DAY 1: DEPART Depart home DAY 2: BEIJING After landing at Beijing airport and passing through customs and immigration you will be met by your KIconcerts Tour Manager. On the way into China’s capital city you will be introduced to China and Forbidden City start to learn some key Chinese words and phrases. Your hotel will be ready for you to check in and, once you’ve freshened up, you will be served the first of your daily dinners in China. Overnight Beijing DAY 3: BEIJING A mix of Chinese and western food will be offered at each of your daily morning buffets. Like most visitors to Peking/Beijing since the 15th century you will want your visit to China to start by seeing the Forbidden City. For almost 500 years most people could only imagine what was behind the imposing walls but now you get to Forbidden City tour through the 250 acres of courtyards, gardens, grand halls and pavilions graced with imperial treasures which today form the Palace Museum. Adjoining the Forbidden City is the world’s largest plaza, Tiananmen Square, the site of so much of China’s modern history. This square is lined with imposing public buildings including the Great Hall of the People and Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum. After time for lunch you transfer to the site of our exchange program with an opportunity to rehearse before meeting your local host ensemble. Enjoy an EXCHANGE PROGRAM followed by the first of your CONCERTS in China. Overnight Beijing DAY 4: GREAT WALL | BEIJING Today we drive to the 3,465 mile long Great Wall, parts of which were being built in the 7th century BC, and which has protected from northern invasion for centuries. Before climbing the Wall there is an option to give an informal short CONCERT at the base of this breathtaking structure (tbd). After lunch we transfer to the World Heritage listed Summer Palace. This masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design combines hills and lakes with pavilions, Great Wall halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious setting unique to China. To cap off this spectacular day you will dine in a Peking Duck restaurant for dinner. Overnight Beijing Temple of Heaven DAY 5: XI’AN Speed to the imperial city of Xi’an aboard one of China’s newest high speed trains. Upon arrival you will see the ancient old city gate and the massive well preserved city wall which was one the largest of the ancient world’s defensive systems as well as the 15-story Wild Goose Pagoda built in 652 A.D. After checking into your hotel, enjoy a dumpling dinner (a specialty of this region) prior to witnessing the spectacular and highly entertaining Tang Dynasty Show that Xi’an is famous for. Overnight Xi’an Xi’an DAY 6: XI’AN Xi’an is home to one of the world’s (recent) great discoveries; 6,000 life-size terracotta soldiers with individual facial expressions. They were discovered by accident on March 29, 1974 buried with their horses all guarding the tomb of 3rd century B.C. Emperor Qin Shi Buangdi. Nothing can prepare you for the immensity of this sight at this still very active archeological dig. After lunch there is time to return to the hotel and freshen up prior to staging your Xi’an CONCERT. Overnight Xi’an Terracotta Warriors DAY 7: SHANGHAI After transferring to the airport you fly into Shanghai, China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city. Upon arrival in this bustling metropolis which has been called the New York of Asia, you will travel down the tree-lined avenue bordering the Huangpu River before taking a cruise. Sailing down the river you can see the dazzling modernity of new Shanghai (Pudong) on one side and historical Shanghai on the other. After time to explore Shanghai’s famed Nanjing Road, you will check into your hotel and get ready for dinner. Overnight Shanghai DAY 8: SHANGHAI You will have a chance to explore Shanghai’s Yu Garden this morning, a place of peace and comfort built in the fabled Ming Dynasty. The Yu (meaning peace and health in Chinese) Garden began as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years, and all of his savings, to build it in order to please his parents in their old age. This afternoon you will prepare for your finalCONCERT which you might have also chosen to share with a Shanghai local ensemble. Overnight Shanghai DAY 9: DEPART Farewelling China we transfer you to the airport to board your flight home Itinerary subject to change. Confirmation of performances is dependent upon early receipt of performance information: biographies, pictures, recordings and repertoire Yu Garden PRODUCERS For over 40 years, KIconcerts has provided ensembles with affordable and unforgettable custom concert tours and festivals internationally and in North America. KIconcerts combines unique destinations and awe- inspiring venues with warm audiences as well as renowned composers, educators and conductors in festival settings. Together with partners on six continents, KI provides a deep sharing of culture…the essence of performance travel.